Binding Basics

Finally, adhesive is used to coat the endsheets, which attached the outside pages of the book block to the inside of the hard cover. The spine of the book block is then glued to backing material which wraps around the binding and spans between the spine creases. Use cases for casebound products The intensive case binding process produces excellent quality printed works that will last a lifetime, if not longer. This is beneficial for library-quality books, durable yearbooks and textbooks and great for special-edition runs. The professional look and feel of the finished product is a benefit for customers who value the artisanship of well-crafted books. In the Smyth case binding process, the spine of the book block is adhered to the backlining instead of the inside of the case, which allows the pages to lay flat when opened. The options for casebound covers provide virtually limitless opportunities for creativity and design. There are a large variety of cover applications, including the following options: • Spot or flood lamination with gloss, matte or gritty finishing • Spot or flood UV with gloss, matte, satin or gritty finishing for glow-in-the-dark, thermochromic or photochromic effects • Die options such as hot foil, metal gloss, embossing and debossing Cover materials like paper, cloth, leather or plexiglass can be used for case binding, and in some cases multiple materials can be used on the same case, known as quarter-bound, half-bound or three-quarter-bound covers. Slip cases, belly bands, trapper keeper covers and dust jackets can be created to wrap around the outside of the finished book. Weighing the options Case binding allows for an optimal balance of durability and design, and is an excellent option for trade books, coffee table books, art portfolios and children’s books in addition to textbooks, yearbooks and library books. If cover options are important to the finished product, case binding is a great method to impart creativity into a book’s design. Case binding results in a beautiful product that will outlast most other publications on the bookshelf. • Laser cutting for covers and endsheets • Branding (provides a partial burn into case) • Clear or colored silk screen • Graining • Lenticular or crack-and-peel tip-ons • Scented varnishes • Namestamping

Did You Know? Only 49 of the initial 180 Gutenberg Bibles are in existence today. These were the first books printed on Johannes Gutenberg’s movable-type printing press starting in 1455 in Mainz, Germany. The Gutenberg Bibles were leather-bound with gold-foil-gilded edge treatments.

Binding Basics

4